System and method for selectively installing an operating system to be remotely booted within a storage area network

A method for selectively installing an operating system to be booted by a recently installed computer system, wherein the method comprises:

• receiving a signal indicating that the recently installed computer system has been installed in a position providing access to remote data storage;
• determining whether the position has previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system;
• in response to determining that the position has not previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system, installing the operating system in a storage location within the remote data storage to be accessed by the recently installed computer system and establishing a path for communications between the recently installed computer system and the storage location;
• and
• in response to determining that the position has previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system, establishing a path for communications between the recently installed computer system and a location for storage in the remote data storage accessed by the formerly installed computer system.

A system comprising:

• a chassis including a plurality of computer system receiving positions and generating a signal indicating that a computer system is installed in one of the computer receiving positions;
• first and second networks;
• a storage server providing access to remote data storage over the first network from each of the computer receiving positions;
• a management server, connected to the chassis and to the storage server over the second network, programmed to perform a method including steps of:
• receiving a signal indicating that a recently installed computer system has been installed in a first position within the plurality of computer receiving positions;
• determining whether the first position has previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system;
• in response to determining that the first position has not previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system, installing the operating system in a storage location within the remote data storage to be accessed by the recently installed computer system and establishing a path for communications between the recently installed computer system and the storage location within the remote data storage;
• and
• in response to determining that the first position has previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system, establishing a path for communications between the recently installed computer system and a location for storage within the remote data storage accessed by the formerly installed computer system.

A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

• receiving a signal indicating that a recently installed computer system has been installed in a first position within a plurality of computer receiving positions having access to remote data storage;
• determining whether the first position has previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system;
• in response to determining that the first position has not previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system, establishing a path for communications between the recently installed computer system and the storage location within the remote data storage, and installing the operating system in a storage location within the remote data storage to be accessed by the recently installed computer system ;
• and
• in response to determining that the first position has previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system, establishing a path for communications between the recently installed computer system and a location for storage within the remote data storage accessed by the formerly installed computer system.

A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave having computer executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

• receiving a signal indicating that a recently installed computer system has been installed in a first position within a plurality of computer receiving positions having access to remote data storage;
• determining whether the first position has previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system;
• in response to determining that the first position has not previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system, establishing a path for communications between the recently installed computer system and the storage location within the remote data storage and installing the operating system in a storage location within the remote data storage to be accessed by the recently installed computer system ;
• and
• in response to determining that the first position has previously been occupied by a formerly installed computer system, establishing a path for communications between the recently installed computer system and a location for storage within the remote data storage accessed by the formerly installed computer system.